Syracuse football training camp officially gets underway today, and the excitement level is high. There’s a new coach, a new conference, and ultimately a new quarterback. But aside from those obvious storylines, here are a few of the young players that Syracuse fans haven’t seen a lot of, but who they should be excited about seeing in training camp and once the season gets underway:
Ashton Broyld, H-back – Broyld came to Syracuse with high expectations, but he just couldn’t carve out a significant role for himself as a freshman last season. That being said, he’s still a phenomenal athlete with the ability to be utilized in a number of different ways. It’ll be fascinating to watch how new offensive coordinator George McDonald uses Broyld, and if he’ll be able to have a break out season for an offense that’s searching for play makers.
Quinta Fundreburk, wide receiver – Funderburk is another guy that had high expectations when he stepped on campus, although he had a disappointing spring and is nowhere close to the top of the depth chart heading into training camp. He may be the most talented wide receiver Syracuse has, so with a strong training camp the Arkansas transfer should be able to work his way into the rotation at wide receiver. One bad spring is all it took for people to question Funderburk, but he has the talent to turn things around in a hurry and emerge as one of the team’s top playmakers.
Wayne Morgan, safety – Morgan was one of Syracuse’s top recruits in the class of 2012, and he got on the field sparingly during his freshman season as a kick returner and as an extra defensive back. He moved from cornerback to safety during the offseason, where he’ll push senior Jeremi Wilkes for playing time. Morgan is a talented player, and after a full spring season and a full training camp worth of practices, he may be ready to take off and make an impact in his sophomore season.
Durell Eskridge, safety – Eskridge is a tall and long safety that can cover a lot of ground in the defensive backfield. In the little playing time he saw on defense last season he was able to make a few memorable plays, and now he’s penciled in as the starting strong safety heading into training camp, where he’ll have to fill the shoes of Shamarko Thomas. Eskridge is low on experience, but has a high upside, so there might be some growing pains, but he also has a chance to make his presence known this season and he should be exciting to watch.
Julian Whigham, cornerback – There’s usually not a lot of anticipation over a team’s fourth best cornerback, but with Whigham it’s different. He’ll have to fight hard to get on the field over three upper classmen, all of whom played significant roles last season, but Whigham showed some promise in the little playing time he received last year, and after a full offseason in the program, he could be ready to take a big step forward. Whigham is one of Syracuse’s biggest cornerbacks, so he could prove useful against some of the bigger wide receivers they’ll face in the ACC.
George Morris, running back – There’s not a lot of room in the backfield with Jerome Smith and Prince Tyson-Gulley both returning after great seasons in 2012, but with Morris, Syracuse will have to find a way to make room. Even amidst all that Smith and Tyson-Gulley did last season, coaches were tempted to get Morris some carries, although they ultimately redshirted him. Morris has speed to burn and plenty of cutting ability. As tough as it may be to take Syracuse’s veteran running backs off the field, there’s a lot that Morris can contribute to the team in 2013, and he’ll be one of the most fascinating players to watch this season.
Ron Thompson, defensive end – Thompson is one of the few four-star recruits that Syracuse has been able to sign, and so there should be plenty of excitement and plenty of expectations for his first season after injuries forced him to redshirt last year. He was forced to move from tight end to defensive end because of a need Syracuse has at that position, but he has the size and athleticism to be a good pass rusher; it’s just a matter of adjusting to the new position. With Syracuse’s lack of depth at defensive end, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to play early in the season, and it’ll be exciting to see what he can do.
Back to the Syracuse Orange Newsfeed